CPM hopes against hope

Calcutta, Jan. 18: The CPM today said the adverse situation it was facing because of alleged Trinamul terror was likely to change "for the better'' before the panchayat polls because of "growing disenchantment" among people with the government.

"Our party secretary (Biman Bose) submitted a report to the central committee on the political situation in Bengal. Based on that, our leaders observed that the adverse condition is likely to change for the better in the run-up to the panchayat polls," a CPM central committee member said at a meeting in Alimuddin Street.

Asked the reason, he added: "That's because of the flawed functioning of the Mamata Banerjee government on law and order, industry, farmer suicides, molestation and rape. Sections of the electorate are getting increasingly disenchanted."

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat had yesterday lauded the Bengal unit's organisational strength in fighting back Trinamul in the face of "terror unleashed by the ruling party". He had also asked the state leadership to keep up the momentum for "better results" in the rural polls.

It was learnt today that Bose's report mentioned that"winds of change'' could be felt in the run-up to the polls in North and South 24-Parganas, Nadia, East Midnapore, Birbhum, Burdwan and parts of north Bengal.

The report also said that Trinamul's performance graph was "going down''. "That's why they are attacking us. But if elections are free, we will be able to fare better," the report said.

According to a senior state CPM leader, the central leadership had been told that sections of the minority community have "seriously viewed'' the alleged Trinamul attack on Abdur Rezzak Mollah.

"We have reports that sections of the minority community are peeved at the attack on Rezzakda by Arabul Islam. They feel Trinamul is pitting leaders of the same community against each other," he said.

According to sources, the CPM leadership would "capitalise" on the attack on Mollah in the run-up to the rural polls. In the past few days, the party has been referring to the attack to mount pressure on the Trinamul government, which many in the CPM said led to Arabul's arrest.

"Karat's and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's visit to Mollah at hospital was aimed at keeping the pressure on the state government," a CPM leader said.

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